OUAGADOUGOU: On Saturday, an attack by militants in northern Burkina Faso left at least 40 people dead, including 34 defence volunteers and six soldiers, according to the regional governorate.
The attack targeted a detachment of soldiers and civilian volunteers near Aorema village, with the assailants being unidentified armed men.
The provisional death toll included 34 auxiliaries from the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) and six soldiers, while 33 others were reported injured and in stable condition at the regional capital, Ouahigouya’s university hospital.
Following the attack, a “riposte” was launched by security forces, which resulted in several dozen terrorists being neutralized, meaning killed, according to a security source.
Burkina Faso military junta declare general mobilization
The Burkina Faso military junta had declared a “general mobilization” on Thursday to combat the string of bloody attacks that have been blamed on jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Last week, “armed terrorist groups” killed 44 civilians in two villages in the northeast, near the Niger border, marking one of the deadliest attacks against civilians since Captain Ibrahim Traore came to power last September.
The government had already announced plans to recruit 5,000 more soldiers in February to battle the insurgency that has plagued one of the world’s poorest countries since 2015.
The violence has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people and displaced two million from their homes, according to non-governmental aid groups.
The latest attack underscores the ongoing threat posed by jihadists in Burkina Faso, despite efforts by the government and its allies to counter their activities.
